4-year-old Kerala boy, returning after Umrah, dies on board flight

Abu Dhabi, Nov 15: A four-year-old boy from south Indian state of Kerala has died on board an Omar Air flight after he developed epileptic seizures. The flight, flying from Jeddah to Kozhikode in Kerala, had to make an emergency landing in Abu Dhabi on Monday afternoon, after the unexpected death.

It is learnt that the young boy, identified as Yahya Puthiyapurayil, was on his way back home from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah with family. 45 minutes after the flight’s take-off, the child developed epileptic seizures and breathed his last soon after.

Mohammed Nadeer, the boy's uncle, who lives in Abu Dhabi, said, "He was running a mild fever while boarding the flight from Jeddah, and developed epileptic seizures in mid-air. He died on his mother's lap. The family is inconsolable.” 

Yahya was the youngest of the three children of Muhammad Ali and Jubairiah. Nadeer told the daily that Yahya was a specially-abled child who was wheelchair-bound as he could not walk or talk and had been undergoing treatment since his birth. The child was a part of the 13-member family pilgrimage group which included his parents, uncles and cousins.

Meanwhile, an Indian Embassy official said that they were informed about the incident by Monday afternoon. The official said that local authorities helped in expediting the procedures to repatriate his body to India. The boy's mortal remains were flown to Kerala on an early morning flight on Tuesday.